Covid-19 vaccine available from Derbyshire GPs

Derbyshire GPs are rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine across the county this week.
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Details on where and when this will start will be revealed soon.

GP practices have grouped together in clusters to nominate sites which will administer the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

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They will merge their patient lists to work out who will be vaccinated first based on age and health risk.

Derbyshire GPs will begin rolling out the Covid-19 vaccineDerbyshire GPs will begin rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine
Derbyshire GPs will begin rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine

Joined Up Care Derbyshire, a combination of health and social care organisations across the county and city, says local vaccination centres will be set up in villages, towns and cities.

These will be opened in phases as vaccine supplies – currently based in specialised extreme cold freezers at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Royal Derby Hospital – become available.

Letters will be sent to patients to arrange their vaccine appointments and people are urge not to call up their GP to ask when theirs will be available.

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Initial priority groups are those aged 80 and over and care home workers and residents along with health and care staff.

Hospital staff are already vaccinating their own workforce, along with impatients being discharged home and outpatients coming into hospital for treatment.

This system is also prioritising those 80 and over and those more at risk from the virus.

Joined Up Care Derbyshire said general practice teams are working hard to redesign their sites and put in place safe processes to meet the tough logistical challenges of offering the vaccination.

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Dr Steve Lloyd, a practising GP and Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s medical director, said he was proud of the work being done by thousands of staff across the region.

He said: “GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other primary care staff across Derbyshire are eager to play their part in protecting people against coronavirus.

“This is the greatest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS, and we are working with our communities to deliver this vaccinate safely, in convenient and familiar settings.

“As a GP I am proud to be part of this huge national effort to protect our patients against the virus and I would urge the public to come forward when they are called up for the vaccine.

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Patients will be contacted and invited for vaccination – we would urge them not to contact their practice enquiring about vaccination, we will contact them.”

On Monday (December 14) it was announced that 100 locations across England will begin administering the Covid vaccine this week, with many starting from Tuesday .

A further 100 to 200 practices will be distributing the vaccine over the course of the week.

The remaining 1,200 practices – nominated in each local area – will begin administering the vaccine in the next few weeks.

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A faster community roll-out of the vaccine is expected when the Oxford University and AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is approved.

The Oxford University and AstraZeneca Covid vaccine does not need to be stored at minus 70 degrees celsius so is much easier to transport, store and administer.

In Derbyshire, health chiefs hope that the vaccine will enable roving vaccination units to access more rural areas and residents who are less able to travel.